How I Stopped Having Food Guilt and Anxiety at Christmas

Gingerbread people and sugar cookies, heaps and piles of boxed chocolate at work, grandma's Christmas pudding and don't forget about that yule log after that huge fest you're about to indulge in... okay you get it.

With Christmas just around the corner, (honestly, where has the time gone?) if you're anything like I was years ago, then you probably are starting to get food anxiety and guilt right about now. Why? Because after sweating and working your derrière off at the gym and/or consciously trying to eat healthy all year, you're nervous that overindulging in tasty treats and temptations that surround you at every corner are going to make you lose all that progress you made the last 334 days.

I've been there and done that, missed out on good times and lost memories that I heard about during conversations on New Years Eve. Over time I learnt how to stop feeling guilty and live, here's how.

Disclaimer* please note that this is my personal experience and I am not prescribing health advice.

It Takes 3,500 Calories to Gain a Pound

That's a lot of turkey. Anywho, I remember when I first got into fitness, I always heard the 'fitness gurus' (and eventually all the fat loss articles that I read) talk about one pound equalling to 3,500 calories. Then, I got down on myself and thought them all lairs when I stepping onto the scale on Boxing Day and saw I 'gained' seven pounds overnight. Little did I take into account that I ate my body weight in turkey, probably took in a lot of salt from that boxed stuffing that we all love and over did it a bit on the sugar. Did I eat 3,500 calories? Absolutely not. Was I retaining water because of all that salt and other forgotten goodies that I nibbled on; which then caused me to gain those seven pounds? Absolutely yes.

So please remember the next time those ghost pounds come creeping up on your scale; drink your water and take a breather. You'll be you again the day after without that food baby. And please, don't torture yourself at the gym the following day as revenge on yourself for being human and having a jolly good feast!

It Takes a Long Time to Lose Gains

If you're into fitness, trying to keep your gains that you've worked so hard for or just trying to keep healthy in general, I understand you. You're devoted to those machines and bulky pieces of iron, trying to get those curves and not working out over the Christmas period and 'cheating' on your meals is going to ruin everything. No, just no. That's how I used to think, and I couldn't have been more wrong.

During obtaining my ACE personal training certification (that I discovered way too late was the wrong career path), I learnt a thing or two about muscle gain and loss. It takes two weeks to start seeing muscle loss, and fat gain comes from consuming too many sugars aka simple carbs that get converted to fat when not used as energy (the simple explanation). So unless you're training for a marathon or competition, don't fear that missing a workout or six will 'ruin' all your progress and gains. If you're trying to build your muscles, all that extra delicious food and rest will probably do you more benefit than harm.

Total Fear of Missing Out

This one may not pertain to everyone, but there's a lesson here.

When I was at my most devoted and detrimental stage of fitness, I worked out everyday. Ate almost no sugar, bad carbs or bad fat and when it came time for Christmas I'd not show up to the parties, would barely eat at family dinners (sometimes even skip them) and if I did show up, I'd sit there eating my micro plate of food thinking I was the smart one. Later on once started getting out of that mindset, and with a little help from my friends, I realised how much I'd been missing out on and how miserable I really was. Hearing about how amazing the parties were; everyone sharing the jokes that were told and hearing about the funny moments.

And I missed out on all of it because of: food. Even if you're not at the extremes that I was at, please do not skip out on Christmas dinner or other events because you're scared you'll have 'unhealthy' food around you or even the impending temptation.

Enjoy those memories, show up and be present with your friends and family and eat that food, because to be blunt: you're only hurting yourself.

Moderation Never Hurt Nobody

I believe that the biggest and best thing that we can practice in every part of our lives is moderation. When it came to my food anxiety and guilt, it helped me out of my rut and made me not regret those extra three cookies.

All food in moderation is absolutely splendid. Please don't restrict yourself or skip out on your favourite foods. From experience and the proper education, I can vouch that because of the way our brains are wired; sooner or later you're going to be craving that sweet or extra turkey leg. And you will eat it, and usually turn to other sugary fixes then feel awful about what you just did. I've been there, and it's an awful feeling.

During my past three Christmases (and everyday life) I have implemented the use of moderation and intuitive eating and not only did it help me enjoy the experience and sear away my guilt and anxiety, but it also made my mother happy that I was eating all of her cooking. Nevertheless, it also taught me that eating a little bit of this and a little bit of that did nothing to my body. It probably did it some good actually.

The Takeaway

So through this next week and the "what day is it?" haze of a week that brings us to 2022, drink your water, don't regret that extra helping, stay off of the scale (it does wonders for your mental health) and don't skip out and/or torture yourself with exercise because you 'didn't deserve' that food. I understand that the mindset is hard to kick, but I believe in you!

Happy Holidays everyone!